International Paint Opens Marine Development Lab

AkzoNobel’s International Paint announced the opening of a new, worldwide marine-coatings product-development laboratory in Singapore, part of the company’s ongoing R&D investment program.

Bob Taylor, managing director of International Paint’s Marine and Protective Coatings Business Unit, presided at the formal opening of the new Worldwide Marine Laboratory, located in the Tuas industrial zone. The lab will focus on the development of the “next generation” of antifouling and foul release technologies, the company said.

Addressing an audience of customers, distinguished guests, and colleagues, Taylor said investment in R&D “is critical to the long-term success of our customers and ourselves, and the opening of this laboratory is the latest in a 20-million-euro R&D investment program that has seen us build a global network of marine R&D centers across Asia, Europe, and America.”

Taylor added that “Singapore is a major maritime hub, and by building our laboratory here and placing a key part of our R&D team here, we are able to build on the great opportunities that Singapore offers us.” He said the Singapore government’s commitment to the marine industry, combined with the country’s extensive dry-docking, anchorage, and port facilities “offer unparalleled opportunities for our R&D team to get close to the shipping industry and understand the issues and challenges that face us all. This will give us a major advantage in developing value-added technologies and products for the marine market.”

The company said the new laboratory will be staffed by 20 chemists, with advanced equipment for measuring and assessing antifouling performance. The waters around Singapore offer “a severe fouling challenge, and this will help us to significantly speed up our product development,” Taylor said.

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